Congressman Allen West's Painful Amateurism On Display

Perhaps the most outspoken member of Florida’s congressional delegation is also one of their most polarizing. Freshman Republican Rep. Allen West generates a lot of buzz when he makes a television appearance – and he makes them often. In almost every appearance, however, he makes an avoidable misstatement which suggests that Congressman West is not ready for prime time.

In the last week alone, West has made two rather avoidable gaffes that highlight his inexperience.

The first, on April 6 and more than once thereafter, West was directly asked by CNN’s Kyra Phillipsto respond to former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s suggestion that he would make an excellent choice to join former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on the Republican ticket in November. West, inexplicably, agreed.

While West said that he doubts that he would be selected to be Romney’s running mate, he insisted that he would “step up to the plate,” but not before distancing himself from the views of the likely Republican nominee saying that “we would have to sit down and discuss things.”

Of course you would. Because the political views of the world’s most visible understudy must comport with those of a potential President of the United States before agreeing to serve.